[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 6 (Wednesday, January 11, 1995)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E86]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                         EL REGRESO FOUNDATION

                                 ______


                        HON. NYDIA M. VELAZQUEZ

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, January 11, 1995
  Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Mr. Speaker, on September 23, 1994, I attended the 
graduation ceremony for El Regreso Foundation, a bilingual drug and 
alcohol abuse treatment program in the Williamsburg, Brooklyn section 
of my district. The event was an incredibly moving experience filled 
with tears and applause. The feeling of hope overcoming pain and abuse 
permeated the evening's festivities.
  Overcoming the greatest odds and barriers, these graduates literally 
received a new lease on life, a life formerly plagued with violence, 
crime, and drug use.
  This graduation was a perfect example of the ability of our people to 
take hold of their lives and turn them around, to be able to look into 
their selves and recognize that they do not want to become another 
statistic.
  Events such as this one at El Regreso, are an inspiration to us all. 
They are of extreme importance to communities such as Williamsburg, 
which struggle daily for sources of hope. And while the media bombards 
us daily with stories of violence, crime, and despair, these and other 
success stories go unnoticed.
  Success stories such as the one of Carlos Pagan. He too overcame 
heavy drug use and a hard street life, to become the founder and 
executive director of El Regreso. He is now a source of inspiration to 
untold numbers of men and women who go through El Regreso's Program, 
and a bright beacon of light illuminating the dark waters of addiction.
  In closing, I salute Carlos Pagan and the staff of El Regreso for 
reminding our community that the best weapons against poverty, 
discrimination and even fear are not the escapes offered by powerful 
hallucigenics. The best weapons against these enemies are the potency 
of pride and the power of belief in themselves.


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